Parcel of Bandages
by BethSHeartbeat
Summary: Zoe receives a present covered in bandages, but what is in the parcel and who is it from? Can things ever be the same again?
1. Chapter 1

"I don't care who you are or what you want, go away. I'm busy." Zoe sighed as there was a knock on her office door, she'd thought that giving up clinical lead would mean less paperwork, apparently she was wrong. She'd decided that today would be an admin day to get up to date again, so she'd got the biggest mug she could find and filled it with coffee to keep her going and now whoever it was on the other side of the door was disturbing her. The person was persistent with their knocking, causing Zoe to get up from her desk and open the door, only to find no one there. She looked around, only to discover that the corridor was empty, something caught her eye as she went to return to her desk, sighing angrily at someone's idea of a joke. On the floor she found a package, it was wrapped in bandages but under that she could see blue wrapping paper. Ash was away on leave, meaning the parcel had to be for her. There were no clues on it as to who or where it had come from, she undid the bandages leaving just the shiny blue wrapping paper covering whatever it was that was inside. The shape of the present wasn't an easy to guess one, her curiosity would have to wait though as she was called through to resus to assist with the patients coming in from an RTC.

* * *

"Coming for a fag Zo?" Max asked as he saw Zoe heading back for her office.

"Oi, less of the Zo at work Max! People might hear you." Zoe whispered.

"Fag?" Max repeated.

"No, sorry I have a pile of paperwork as tall as my highest heels to work my way through." Zoe sighed heading back to her office with a whispered promise that she'd be over to his later that night. Lofty and Robyn were the only two people who knew about their relationship and that was only because of the amount of time that Zoe spent there, therefore things were kept quiet at work.

* * *

Zoe returned to the office and closed herself in, the door was closed but she still had a feeling that she was being watched. Even so, she sat down, taking the blue paper in her hands and tore at it. Inside she found a white fluffy rabbit with a brown scarf around its neck. She looked at the rabbit for a moment, the confusion growing the more she looked at it, that was until she looked up and saw Robyn stood in front of her desk.  
"Do you like it?" Robyn asked, unsure by the look on her boss's and brother's partner's face.

"Erm, what is it?" Zoe asked, studying Robyn's face for any hint that this was some sort of prank.

**So basically I was away visiting family and was without internet, I asked my best friend to send me a fic challenge and so she said to me include Zoe getting a mysterious parcel of blue wrapping paper with bandages wrapped around it. This was the result, hope you enjoy.**

**Beth x**

"It's a cuddly toy." Robyn replied, pointing out the blatantly obvious.

"I can see that, what I mean is why?"

"I was in the bathroom last night and opened the bin and on the top I discovered a pregnancy test. It was positive. Since it wasn't mine, I can only assume that it belongs to you, so I thought I'd get the baby its first toy. Sorry about the blue, it was the only wrapping paper we had in the house."  
"Oh." Zoe replied looking away from her partners older sister.

"Is there something wrong?" Robyn asked, suddenly feeling tension and anxiety radiating from Zoe.

"No. Alright look, I was always told I was infertile so I don't know if it's accurate and if it is then anything could be wrong at my age. I wanted to get everything checked before I told Max and he got excited about being a dad. Please don't tell him yet." Robyn considered Zoe's words for a minute before she spoke again.

"Okay, can I come to your scan to check if it's all okay though? I don't want you to go through this on your own and if you can't tell Max right now then I'll be the next best thing!" Robyn explained.

"Robyn I don't want you getting too attached to the idea of being an Aunty when it's quite likely that it won't happen."

"I won't Zoe, please just let me be there for you. Who knows, we could be sisters in law one day."

"Fine, it's at four up on the maternity ward."

"I'll see you there."


	2. Chapter 2

"Zoe?" Robyn spoke a second time as she saw her brother's partner sat on the plastic chairs in the maternity waiting room, seemingly in another world.

"What? Oh sorry, sit down." Zoe replied as she came back into reality and moved her bag from the chair to one side of her.

"Stop panicking, everything could all be fine Zo."

"It could all be horribly wrong too, you have to be prepared for that." Zoe told her bluntly, not in the mood to be her usual self.

"I think it's you who isn't prepared for that and I can't blame you. Who doesn't want to expect a pregnancy will be anything but a breeze and you'll have a healthy baby at the end of it?"

"I might not even be pregnant Robyn, it could be a false positive, it wouldn't be the first time that that cruel trick has been played on me." She sighed, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall as she thought of that time.

"Zoe Hanna?" A doctor that Zoe vaguely recognised called as she appeared in the waiting room. "You work down in the ED don't you?" The woman asked as they walked through to the consultancy room.

"Yeah." Zoe replied, not overly wanting to trade niceties and just wanting to find out whether or not she was pregnant and if it was all okay if she was.

"Okay, well I'm Dr Marsh, and who's this?"

"Oh, erm sorry. This is Robyn, she's a nurse in the ED and my partner's sister, my partner doesn't know I'm here so she's here for moral support."

"Well hello Robyn, so what's going on then Dr Hanna?"

"Please, call me Zoe." She replied and watched as the other doctor nodded. "I've always been told I was infertile but after a recent bout of sickness I did a pregnancy test and it came back positive. Obviously with my medical history, I'm not sure if it's just a false positive and if isn't then I need to make sure it's all okay."

"That's perfectly understandable, why don't you pop up onto the bed and we'll get an ultrasound scanner through and have a little look." Dr Marsh told her.

"Okay, we don't want to see the monitor though. If I am pregnant and its okay then I want Max to be here the first time we see the baby." Zoe told the doctor as she wheeled a machine in, for a moment she dared herself to imagine and believe that there was in fact a baby.

"Okay, well I'll turn the screen away then and just tell you what's going on." The doctor told them as she squirted some cold gel onto Zoe's stomach, without even noticing Zoe reached out for Robyn's hand, needing the support from someone. Just from Robyn's hand, she felt Max there with her despite the fact he didn't even know where she was at that moment. "Well I can confirm that you are pregnant. Congratulations." Zoe dared to smile as the young nurse squeezed her hand.

"Is the baby okay?" Robyn asked as Zoe seemed to have been stunned into silence, the doctor remained quiet for a few minutes, panicking both the baby's mother and aunt.

"Yes. The baby is fine, sorry I wanted to be 100% before I told you. You are about 14 weeks pregnant and everything looks completely normal."

"You're sure?" Zoe asked, not sure what else to say.

"Perfectly, congratulations Zoe."

"But how?"

"It happens every so often, we don't really know how or why, but I wouldn't question it Zoe, it's your little miracle." The doctor told the pair, Robyn beamed, seemingly a proud aunt already. Zoe seemed emotionless, the news not really having sunk in.

* * *

"You can't tell Max yet, I'll tell him when I get home." Zoe told the ginger nurse.

"That's fine, I'll get Lofty out so you can have the house to yourself."

"Thank you."

"What's up Zo? You don't seem happy."

"I don't think it's quite sunk in yet, after so many years of trying and the crushing disappointment when it never happened, I can't shake the feeling that the doctor was wrong."

"She's not, you're having a baby. You're going to be a mummy." Robyn's use of the word mummy seemed to bring her to all her senses as she lay a hand subconsciously on her tummy and a smile spread across her face.

"I am, aren't I?" Robyn nodded. "I'll see you back at the house Robyn." Zoe spoke, picking up her car keys and all but running out of the hospital.

* * *

"I don't think I've ever seen you open that door so fast." Max commented, seeing a smile spread across Zoe's face as she saw him. "Did you miss me that much?"

"Something like that." Zoe replied before she fell into his arms and kissed him. "I have something to tell you." She finally spoke, and pulled Max towards the sofa before they both collapsed onto it.

"Should I be worried?" Max asked, physically tensing at her words.

"After those kisses, no. It's good news, at least I think it is."

"Go on then, your excitement and the suspense is killing me." Max laughed.

"I'm pregnant, you're going to be a daddy Max!" Zoe squealed, her excitement now that it had sunk in had become infectious.

"You're pregnant? With my baby?" Max asked, a smile creeping up on him too.

"No, I've been meaning to tell you about the passionate affair I've been having with Charlie." Zoe replied sarcastically. "Yes I'm pregnant and of course it's yours Max. We're going to be parents."

"And it's okay?" Max asked, knowing Zoe's history as he gestured to her stomach.

"The doctor said so, I'm about 14 weeks pregnant. I haven't seen the baby though, I didn't want to without you there. I took Robyn to the appointment with me, I couldn't tell you in case it was a false positive but Robyn found my test in the bin."

"Zoe I don't care that you took Robyn, I'm glad you're becoming closer to my family. I can't wait." He spoke to Zoe before leaning down and speaking to her tummy. "Hello in there mini Walker, you be good in there for your mummy and me. I expect you to stay in there and grown contentedly for the new few weeks until your big enough to come out. I love you little one and I love your mummy lots too."


End file.
